December is here already, but some policymakers in the U.S. are not ready to end the year with entrepreneurship-enabling legislation on the back burner. Taking an “across-all-industries” approach, the Start-up Jobs and Innovation Act introduced last month in the Senate aims to stimulate investment in research-intensive startups.

I ended Global Entrepreneurship Week 2013 last week in Moscow just in time to see a GEW-themed bus driving around different universities, schools and gatherings while testing young peoples’ entrepreneurial skills and engaging them in the world of founding businesses. Skeptics in the international community might want to take a closer look at what cities can do – even in environments where there are persistent national barriers to new firm formation.

Early in his Administration, President Enrique Peña Nieto embarked on a serious mission to fuel entrepreneurial growth by challenging Mexico to better tap into its people’s creativity and boost productivity. On January 11, 2013—less than two months after he took office—he signed a decree that created the National Institute for Entrepreneurs (INADEM). Few governments have institutionalized their commitment to building an entrepreneurship ecosystem as highly as Mexico, which now has a decentralized administrative office of the Secretariat of Economy dedicated to entrepreneurs.

In my final post of 2013, I summarize my top of mind developments in the world’s entrepreneurship data chest. Next year will herald a new era in evidence-based programming and policymaking as practitioners and policymakers alike—now committed to new firm formation—demand better data and analysis around what entrepreneurship promotion efforts are working and what is hype.

I know few of you plan to comb through entrepreneurship data and analysis over the holidays but the following summary might be helpful to all of us as we embark upon a renewed effort in 2014 to fill the gaps in what we can tell those who are eager to help founders start and scale new firms. This list is by no means comprehensive but rather what was most visible to me as a global observer and commentator. Please let me know what I missed.

Guatemala’s economic history has been defined by corruption, instability and broad social inequality. In that context, Rigoberta Menchu received the 1992 Nobel Peace Prize for her work in promoting indigenous rights in the country. There are now other unnoticed social changers: entrepreneurs who see hope in technology as a tool to overcome social divides, as one local entrepreneur told the New York Times.

The most successful economic periods in the Dominican Republic have been fuelled in the past by growth in tourism, telecommunications and maquiladora manufacturing but a handful of entrepreneurs are working to add new pioneers across all economic sectors. As part of my recent series on Latin America, we take a quick look at developments from the Dominican Republic.

As economic recovery indicators fell flat last week, the leaders of G20 nations held meetings in Russia. Entrepreneurs were present and armed with a two reports from a couple of “Big 4” heavyweights to help them deliver their message -- “Help us help you stimulate job creation.” We take a look this week at some of the highlights of what the authors had to say.

Today I am opening the APEC Start-Up Accelerator Leadership Summit here in Taipei. The summit is challenging 30 startups along with 200 top executives and officials from the APEC region to re-think past assumptions about how the public and private sectors can collaborate to build sustainable startup ecosystems in the region.

A network of U.S. cities facilitating a weekly entrepreneur education program. Go to 1 Million Cups >

Whether you are starting or growing a company, FastTrac will help you live your dream at each stage.Go to FastTrac >

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